GEOGRAPHICA
ARCHITECTURE
Taipei Towers Above All Others
Taiwan's capital goes to great lengths to claim record
n the grandiose game of
architectural one-upmanship,
Taipei lays claim to the world's
tallest building-at least for
now. At 1,670 feet, the 101-story
skyscraper dubbed Taipei 101
eclipses by 187 feet what were
until October 2003 the tallest
buildings in the world: the twin
Petronas Towers in Kuala Lum
pur, Malaysia. The towers held
their record for a mere five years,
and Taipei 101 may not wear
the laurels for long. Burj Dubai
in the United Arab Emirates,
expected to exceed 2,000 feet, is
scheduled to open in 2008.
The U.S. long had a lock on
record-breaking skyscrapers, but
Asia's ambitious and locally
inspired designs have displaced
the U.S. in recent years. The
Petronas Towers are based on an
eight-pointed Islamic star, and
be the most elegant of structures,
but it boasts the world's fastest
elevators, zipping upward at 38
miles an hour.
All skyscrapers sway in the
wind. Taipei 101, however, was
erected in typhoon country. To
ensure occupants' peace of mind,
its engineers suspended a giant
pendulum with a 726-ton weight
over the 88th floor. Integrated
with a set of shock absorbers, the
pendulum counteracts the winds,
reducing the building's sway and
keeping motion sickness at bay.
- Cliff Tarpy
20th-century Records
Petronas Towers Kuala Lumpur,
1,483 feet, 1998
Sears Tower Chicago, 1,450
feet, 1974
World Trade Center Towers
New York, 1,368 and 1,362 feet,
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